Following the Merseyside Derby on Saturday some Liverpool fans and many fans from opposing clubs were calling Luis Suarez a diver after Jack Rodwell tackled him. At first look, the tackle looked bad but then replays show that it was not that bad a tackle and Suarez may have milked it. The FA on Tuesday announced that Jack Rodwell’s red card will be rescinded as Everton appealed that sending off, suggesting now that Suarez overreacted for that challenge. Two ex-Liverpool players spoke out after that game and both believe that Suarez should not have reacted the way he did after that challenge.
Graeme Souness said:
“I’ve played in Latin countries and I’ve worked in Latin countries and I think they, at times, can exaggerate that situation. I think he [Suarez] is a fabulous football player, but I think he’s also a very cute player. He’ll be a great asset for Liverpool, but I think yesterday he overplayed that”
Whilst Ray Houghton went on to comment:
“He did catch Suarez but does that mean that he should have screamed at the top of his voice before he hit the ground? Probably not but that is the way football has gone unfortunately. If you want to stop challenges like that then we may as well go and play a different game. I don’t think it was a red card. I don’t think it was a yellow card, it was just a very good challenge.”
Now being a Liverpool fan, I have to try stick up for our players as best as I can and I defended Suarez when the debate began that he dives and goes to the ground too easily. But now that the red card has been rescinded, we have very little leverage now in our defence for Suarez.
The likes of Ronaldo, Drogba and Torres, when they first came to the Premier League, they went to the ground too easily but over a couple of seasons they learnt that they have to stay on their feet as much as possible and hopefully the same will happen to Suarez. In my opinion he does not go down as easily as those three I have mentioned. What is your take on all of this?
This article was written by Ron, and is courtesy of our partner website ourkop.com. Read the latest news and blogs about Liverpool FC at Our Kop. – ed
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He does have a tendency to go down easily & make a meal but in his defence, he IS heavily targeted. An opposition team would love nothing more than to see Suarez limp off with injury.
You really think that Ronaldo and Drogba in particular ever learned to stay on their feet!
No doubt Suarez did milk it but unfortunately that is the nature of the game now. Tim Howard did exactly the same thing in the same game. All players do it to some degree or other. Until the FA, UEFA or FIFA take action to retrospectively punish this type of playacting it will continue.
I think the argument here is was there contact between Rodwell and Suarez, and quite evidently there was as Rodwell’s knee did follow through and make contact, now the Ref must decide the intent, and he judged on this occasion that there was malicious intent so in his opinion it was a red card, all else from both Suarez and Rodwell is game play, your question and defence here should not be is Saurez a diver, but in this instance who played the better game and gained the advantage, isn’t that what every sport is about, gaining advantage and winning the game……YNWA
Luis went to the air to keep his ankles from breaking! Tough tackle and it was not the first nor the last that he had to deal with in this match, in fact, every match because he is a marked man just like the other strikers that you mentioned in your article! A diver? I don’t think so, but they do have to protect themselves some way!
Good post Ron,
I too believe that there was minimal contact between Rodwell and Suarez, after Rodwell had played the ball.
Both Hibbert’s tackle on Adam, and Fellani’s tackle on Lucas were far worse but the referee let them go, Hibbert’s completely un-punished.
Martin Atkinson made a bad decision in sending Rodwell off this has been in part vindicated by the FA’s rescinding the red card.
Who knows how the game would have played out eleven v eleven….comments from the Blue half of the city suggest they believe they were robbed.
If Rodwell had not been sent off Everton would have been down to 9 thugs in the second half anyway because Atkinson would most definitely have sent off Hibbert and Fellani. If that had happened it would have been a rout.
I’m also sick and tired of Suarez taking all the stick, Rodwell may have got the ball but he also got Suarez too and contrary to the tunnel vision the Bluenoses suffer from Rodwell is no angel, is fond of sliding tackles and will collect many red cards in the future if he stays at Everton, they are a thuggish team with thuggish fans.
We have seen all the views on the television,but the one the ref saw from behind the Evertan tackling player was not one of them. From this view it would have seemed the player dived in with both feet of the ground. So a strait red.
So what ever reaction there was from Suarez does not make any diffeence to the issuing of the card.